This disclosure is directed to a new construction for soffits which are installed under the eaves in residential housing. In the construction of a residential house, the rafters and joists positioned above the house define an attic space which is ventilated by circulation in the attic area. While there are turbine ventilators installed on the roof eave vents, gable louvers and other devices to exhaust hot air from an attic, an equally important aspect of attic circulation is obtained by intake air movement through the soffit. The soffit is the region under the eave which is normally closed. In the past, they have been closed by thin boards such as 1/2" or 3/4" boards. One improvement in the soffit has been the incorporation of gaps in the soffit which are closed by screen wire. An even larger improvement has been implemented in the past such as positioning a plastic strip over the gap in the soffit. The plastic strip is typically perforated to provide breathing. Over time, the availability of wood which readily accepts either small nails or staples has decreased. Particle board and other composite materials have been substituted. This makes a better, longer lasting soffit in the sense that the composite board is typically more weather resistant and less likely to rot or decay with time. Even better products have been provided for that which have even longer life when exposed to weather. One such device is a fiber-cement soffit board. Fiber-cement is a material which provides a low maintenance product which is not combustible, is moisture resistant, will not rot, and is not susceptible to insect attack by termites. It is a quality product and is able to replace wood without warping, rotting or bending over a 50 year life. One maker of this product provides a 50 year warranty. There are difficulties, however, with fiber-cement boards. It is not readily possible to drive a nail, staple or screw through such a board and develop a grip between the nail and board. It is also difficult to make a staple hold permanently. Therefore, the soffit board formed of fiber-cement is not so readily integrated in the structure. To install a breathing strip next to such a soffit board, and especially one made of fiber-cement, it is easier to install a clip mechanism. This avoids the necessity of finding a rafter on the blind side of the fiber-cement board and driving a nail through the fiber-cement soffit board and then into the rafter. Moreover, the apparatus of the present disclosure enables construction of a soffit under the eave of any length and width deemed appropriate. This enables consecutive boards to be anchored under the eave to extend the eave to any length, for instance, 50' or 100' in length. In that example, the soffit is fabricated in place under the eave by placing precut fiber-cement soffit boards on the eave, defining a gap between two runs thereof, and extending the runs of soffit boards along the eave length. If, for instance, the stock boards are provided in 12' lengths, an eave of 50' will require four full-length soffit boards and a short one which is cut to size to complete the 50' length. Each soffit board is installed end to end to accumulate the 50' length. A 50' gap between two parallel soffit boards is created. For easy nomenclature, the two soffit boards are defined simply as the inside and outside soffit boards. The inside soffit board is adjacent to the wall of the building while the outside soffit board is parallel but more remote to the inside soffit board. The gap between the two is the breathing space.
Normally, the inside and outside soffit boards are butted together to define the length of the soffit board. The butt joint is not a load bearing joint but it typically is not an easily sealed joint. Rather, it is simply the butt located gap between one board and another. Heretofore, it has been necessary to plug that gap. A common technique for doing this is injecting a semisoft adhesive into the gap with a caulking gun. The caulking material is pumped into the gap and cures somewhat to provide a tacky or adhesive seam material.
The caulking material prevents air flow in that area and also seals out moisture, insects, etc. It is not a load transferring joinder material. It simply plugs the gap between the butt ends of adjacent boards. Moreover, the caulking material pumped into the gap accommodates misalignment readily within a range. Misalignment and gapping which might arise by settling of the house, however, may pose a problem. Where the gap becomes smaller, the caulking material can stay put. Where the gap is pulled wider, over time, the caulking material may fail. Where the gap is irregular, the caulking material may provide an adequate seal where the gap is narrow but an inadequate seal where the gap is wider. Caulking material is initially soft and can be worked easily. Over the years, it dries and cracks with aging and drying. This time dependent deterioration is detrimental to the use of caulking.
In the past, prefabricated soffit breathing strips of aluminum wire screen and surrounding rectangular frames have been attached by nailing or stapling. One advantage of aluminum is that it forms a protective oxide layer, avoiding the need of painting or putting some sort of protective coating on it. In this instance, direct contact of aluminum to the cement based products seems to create some sort of undesired reaction at the contact area. While no chemical analysis has been made it seems to form a localized skin blemish on the cement based board on wall covering product.
It is desirable that the completed soffit area be made substantially without requiring a lot of measurements. The present apparatus sets out a system by which this can be accomplished. The breathing space under the eave is assured through the use of the present disclosure. This disclosure thus sets forth a fabricated soffit assembly which is made in place. It features an inside soffit board formed of two or more lengths of soffit board material. While wood (more often, plywood) is one embodiment, the present invention especially contemplates the use of improved soffit products including particle board but especially also including fiber-cement soffit panels. Again, while it will work successfully even with plywood or other nonwood members, it finds its ultimate and best mode of assembly and greatest life in making the soffit with fiber-cement products. So, it is best described as a soffit assembly having an inside soffit board made up of two or more butt joined boards, an intermediate gap which is the breathing space, and the outside soffit board which is assembled in the same fashion as the inside soffit board. The present invention further contemplates the installation of an elongate strip between the inside and outside soffit boards. It clips to the adjacent soffit boards. There are left and right edge located U-shaped receptacles along the length of the vent strip. The vent strip spans the open gap and is wider than it, thereby snapping in place and requires no nails or staples to maintain the installed position. A cross strip is installed at the end of individual soffit boards. The cross strip has a H-shaped profile, and is installed across the width. The cross strip thus provides continuity, replacing the caulking and caulking gun, and thereby closing the attic space to assure that controlled ventilation is achieved through the soffit assembly of the present disclosure. Moreover, it can be installed and left in position for the duration or life of the building. The finished installation features aesthetically attractive seams.
Summarizing the present invention, it comprises an assembled soffit under an eave which is made of an inside soffit board and an outside soffit board, and each of the two is preferably assembled from composite materials having the form of sheet or decking material and extending to any desired length. The length is accommodated by installing two or more boards serially. A central gap is left and is filled by a vent strip, to be described, which snaps in place. A cross strip is also installed at the ends of individual soffit boards to protect at that joint. The vent strip and cross strip are fabricated as extrusions and are relatively inexpensive, easy to manufacture, durable when installed, can be installed with a minimum of hand labor and do not require the use of screws, bolts, nails, staples or other fasteners.
The present disclosure is summarized as a vent strip for attachment to an exposed eave. It is formed of an extruded continuous profile of plastic material having a profile enabling easy installation without screws, staples or nails. On one edge, it is provided with an L-shaped bracket which overhangs the veneer attached to the exterior of a building (e.g., the brick frieze strip). This enables easy installation at the topmost level of the veneer. The center portion is a wide span having a set of formed holes in it to provide breathing. The aggregate cross-sectional area is quite large, thereby furnishing the necessary breathing area. At the marginal right edge, it is constructed with a locking channel having three sides. The channel has a width and height sufficient to lock snugly against the soffit board. Multiple strips can be installed serially to provide a ventilation breathing space along the entire eave of a residential construction.